Denver Broncos: 3 Takeaways vs. Bills in Week 3
By Bruce Matson
The Denver Broncos dropped their first game of the season against the Buffalo Bills and here are three takeaways from their first loss of the season.
The Denver Broncos will now need to regroup after losing their first game of the season to the Buffalo Bills 26-16. The Broncos now have a 2-1 record and will play the Oakland Raiders, one of the team’s biggest rivals, next week.
Due to Brandon McManus’ 38-yard field goal, Denver was the first to put points on the scoreboard late in the first quarter, making the score 3-0. Buffalo countered in the second quarter when Tyrod Taylor connected with Andre Holmes for a two-yard touchdown pass. A few minutes later, Denver answered back with a 12-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles — his first of the year.
The last three minutes of the second quarter was very eventful. Buffalo drove the ball downfield and scored on a 49-yard field goal by Stephen Hauschka. Denver answered with a 35-yard Brandon McManus field goal with 42 seconds left in the half. The Bills quickly moved the ball downfield to get into position to score on another field goal, this one was a 55-yarder that tied the score at 13 going into halftime.
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The Broncos were the first to strike in the second half with a 28-yard field goal. However, the Bills rallied with a six yard touchdown strike from Tyrod Taylor to Charles Clay, giving the Bills a 20-16 lead. Buffalo owned the fourth quarter scoring six unanswered points off of two Stephen Hauschka field goals, making the final score of the game 26-16.
The Broncos will have a tough matchup next week when they play the Raiders at home at Sports Authority Field. With this being a divisional match up, this game holds extra precedence in the standings. So far, the Broncos are undefeated at home with wins against the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Losing is always hard, but the Broncos will need to regroup and get ready for another tough contest next week. Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 26-16 loss against Buffalo.